Department for Transport

Driving: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has provided to car insurance companies on the potential for a fee to be charged in respect of driving from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.

Chris Grayling: There has been no such engagement with car insurance companies; my Department is not aware of any plans for a fee to be charged by car insurance companies in respect of driving from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland, which is a commercial matter for those companies.

Department for Transport: Public Expenditure

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department will publish the spending over £25,000 from July 2018 to December 2018.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is committed to the Government’s transparency agenda to make Government more open, and to strengthen public accountability by reporting on transactions that are over £25,000.The data for financial transactions over £25,000 for July 2018 was published on 31st January 2019. The transactional data from August 2018 to January 2019 was published on 28 March 2019.

M20 and M26

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of infrastructure works on the (a) M20 contraflow and (b) M26 alterations in 2019.

Jesse Norman: Preparatory infrastructure works have been conducted by Highways England on the M20 and M26 in Kent as part of contingency traffic management measures, known as Operation Brock. Operation Brock has been designed to ensure that, unlike Operation Stack, the M20 will be kept open and traffic will continue to flow in both directions at times of cross-Channel disruption. As part of this, implementing the contraflow queuing system between Junctions 8 and 9 on the M20 will cost approximately £30 million to build and operate. The works to prepare the M26 for the potential use as a temporary HGV storage area are in the region of £5 million. The costs of these works will fall within the financial year 2018/19.

Railways

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the market-led proposals on rail received by his Department since the July 2018 deadline and state which of these were (a) accepted and (b) rejected.

Andrew Jones: In December the department responded to all promoters of market-led proposals received through its call for ideas. The department cannot make an announcement about individual schemes at this time as these proposals were submitted in confidence and such disclosure may prejudice the commercial interests of the proposers.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which regulations cover the use of LED and Xenon car headlights.

Jesse Norman: Before cars can be sold or registered in the UK, where fitted with LED and Xenon headlights these must comply with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulations 112 and 98 respectively. All vehicles used on the UK roads must comply with the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 (as amended).

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety standards on headlamps will apply to  vehicles in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: There will be no change to the current safety standards for headlamps which must be met before a vehicle can be sold, registered or used in the UK.

Blue Badge Scheme

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many blue badge holders there were in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is responsible only for policy on the Blue Badge Scheme in England. The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are responsible for the scheme in their own territory. The number of valid Blue Badges held in England at 31 March in each of the last five years is given in the attached table. 



Valid Blue Badges - England - 2014 - 2018
(Word Document, 32.9 KB)

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many private contracts are in operation between oil and gas companies and helicopter companies for the transportation of offshore workers in the North Sea; and if he will list the parties in each case.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not hold this information. This is a commercial matter between the oil and gas companies and the helicopter operators.

Roads: Accidents

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on roads.

Jesse Norman: The Department is currently taking forward a number of road safety measures in accordance with its publicly stated road safety priorities, through the Road Safety Statement. In June last year, the Department issued a written statement to Parliament which included a progress report on the actions from that statement. Full details are available on the www.gov.uk website.(https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/road-safety-recent-progress-and-future-work) The Department intends to publish a refreshed road safety statement and a two-year road safety action plan later this year.

Railways: Compensation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the availability of passenger compensation on the railway.

Andrew Jones: The Department is working with the Office of Rail and Road, and with the rail industry to promote better awareness and ease of claiming for rail passenger compensation schemes. Data published by the Department in October 2018 show that, in the past two years the total amount of compensation paid to passengers increased by 80%, as Government encouraged train operators to better publicise passengers’ rights. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation We are mandating increased use of technology to inform passengers pro-actively that they are entitled to claim, using Apps, social media and onboard announcements. The introduction of simple and speedy ‘one-click’ automated claims systems, available via smartphones and smartcard registration, forms part of stronger obligations for future train operators under UK government-awarded franchises, ensuring that passengers are more aware than ever of their right to compensation.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not complying with the criteria set out in the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, in each year since 2014.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not centrally record the reasons for excluding specific potential suppliers from bidding for contracts.

Biofuels: Import Duties

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the UK bioethanol industry of the introduction of a zero tariff regime for imported ethanol in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and what representations he has received from that industry on a zero tariff regime.

Chris Grayling: The Government continues to work towards a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. If the UK leaves without a deal in place, an independent tariff regime will be set striking a balance between protecting consumers and businesses from possible price rises and avoiding the exposure of sensitive industries to competition. The Government has considered carefully the evidence available in developing a future tariff regime. Once a final decision has been taken, we will bring forward legislation to the House and communicate this in an appropriate way for a market sensitive announcement. The Department is in regular contact with representatives from the UK bioethanol industry on a range of topics, including on the implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2016 to Question 56125, on High Speed 2 Railway Line, whether HS2 Limited has now published the high level overview of the construction contract geographical area split.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd will publish a high level overview of the Phase One geographic construction zones covering (a) area south, (b) area central and (c) area north on its website in the next week.

Delivery Services: EU Countries

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the effect on delivery times for goods bought online from the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Transport, in conjunction with other government departments, is undertaking a comprehensive and wide-ranging programme of work to maximise the flow of goods in a scenario in which the UK leaves the European Union without a deal. We continue to work closely with a range of partners to assess the challenges being faced by the market and are actively working to ensure that the UK does not leave without a deal.

Cycling and Walking: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will allocate funds to Transport for Greater Manchester to implement its Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.

Jesse Norman: The Government has allocated a total of £321.5 million to Greater Manchester over the five-year period to 2022-23 as part of the Transforming Cities Fund. £160 million of this will help support the creation of a comprehensive cycling and walking network, informed by the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan that is currently being developed by Transport for Greater Manchester.

Aviation: Crew

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of pilots in the UK.

Jesse Norman: Through the Government’s Aviation Strategy consultation, the Department is working with industry to ensure that the next generation of aviation professionals is both attracted to the sector and retained. The consultation includes proposals for overcoming financial, social mobility and diversity barriers which may prevent or inhibit suitable individuals from entering the aviation sector.

Aviation: Licensing

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for pilot licence applications.

Jesse Norman: The number of flight crew licence applications received by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has grown by more than 40% since the start of 2018. The CAA has responded by recruiting and training more licensing officers, increasing staff overtime, and pre-screening applications to ensure that all the required information has been received. The CAA is working with key stakeholders to identify improvements which will help to simplify and speed up the application process for both commercial and private pilots.

Aviation: Licensing

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) private, (b) commercial and (c) air transport pilot licences the CAA issued in 2018.

Jesse Norman: LICENCES Initial IssueRe-Issue/Renewal/RevalidationPrivate20181361Commercial84759Air Transport90668

Freedom Pass: Fees and Charges

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on local authorities charging freedom pass holders to cover the administration costs of that scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The right to free bus travel for older and disabled people is enshrined in the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 which does not allow bus operators to charge any part of the fare to a person who is eligible for the statutory concession, nor for any local authority to charge an eligible resident who applies for the bus pass. To introduce such payments would therefore require the amendment of Primary Legislation and there are no plans to do so at present.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Brexit

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is drawing up plans for specific nations and regions of the UK to boost the economy in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government continues to work towards a deal and we are confident of securing a relationship with the EU which maintains the current, liberalised access and frictionless trade we enjoy. This is in the interest of business across all regions of the UK. We are committed to supporting vital industries in any EU exit scenario, including taking action to provide continuity for UK business in trading arrangements wherever possible. Extensive engagement continues between Government and industry to help businesses prepare for different scenarios. Our modern Industrial Strategy has set out a long-term approach to ensure that we’re building an economy fit for the future and will help us make the best of our relations with Europe and beyond. This includes a range of measures aimed at increasing investment to all regions of the UK from the private and public sector, from cutting business taxes, slashing red tape to investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale.

Companies House: Enforcement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216281, how many times Companies House write to a company to remind them of their obligations before further enforcement action is taken.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 19 February 2019



Companies House aims to secure compliance with the Companies Act 2006. The manner in which a company is reminded of its legal obligations varies for each individual case.

Migrant Workers: EU Law

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to undertake a consultation on the transposition of the Posting of Workers Directive (96/71/EC) into domestic law.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 27 February 2019



The UK has already implemented the Posting of Workers Directive (96/71/EC). Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will need to implement the recent Directive amending the Posting of Workers Directive (2018/957/EU) by 30 July 2020. We intend to consult on the implementation of this Directive later this year. This will give us enough time to pass the necessary legislation, if any is required.

Parental Leave: Childbirth

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Prime Minister's Answer of 20 February to the Honourable Member for Glasgow East, HC 1467, by which date his Department will have completed the short, focused internal review of provision for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies to obtain an understanding of the barriers to participating in the labour market.

Kelly Tolhurst: Officials in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have now completed the preliminary work on the internal review of the provisions for parents of premature, sick and multiple babies. The purpose of this exercise was to provide initial advice to Ministers, including identifying potential areas for further work. I will consider this advice and expect to be a position to say more about next steps in due course.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the potential change in the price of a first class postage stamp in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.

Kelly Tolhurst: Decisions about the pricing of postage stamps are operational matters for Royal Mail, subject to any regulatory requirements set by Ofcom.

Postage Stamps: Prices

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the potential change in the price of a second class postage stamp in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.

Kelly Tolhurst: Decisions about the pricing of postage stamps are operational matters for Royal Mail, subject to any regulatory requirements set by Ofcom. The current price cap for second class stamps is 60p, which is due to rise to 65p with effect from 1 April 2019.

Connect Airways: Flybe

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made on the treatment of shareholders by Flybe during its takeover by the Connect Airways consortium.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to make an assessment of the effect on Flybe shareholders of the treatment of those shareholders by Flybe during its takeover by the Connect Airways consortium.

Kelly Tolhurst: The treatment of shareholders of listed companies in the context of a takeover is regulated by the Takeover Code, overseen by the Takeover Panel. This is independent of Government.

Electronic Commerce

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on the strength of UK e-commerce of extended delivery times for goods bought online in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is fully engaged with the retail sector through the Retail Sector Council and the EU Exit retail panel, which both have e-commerce businesses as members. Through the EU Exit panel, we have regular discussions with retailers and e-commerce businesses to understand their concerns about no-deal. Recent meetings have included discussions on business readiness, the e-commerce directive and border readiness plans, all of which have implications for e-commerce businesses and goods bought online. Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the Government’s top priority, but as a responsible Government we are taking the appropriate steps to ensure the country is prepared for all scenarios and will work to as much as possible minimise disruption to our global trading relationships so that the retail sector can continue its valuable contribution our economy and society.

Minimum Wage: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what percentage of jobs in Ashfield constituency pay (a) the national minimum wage and (b) sums up to the living wage.

Kelly Tolhurst: Through the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) the Government helps to protect the lowest paid in society. We are committed to raising the NLW to 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020, subject to economic growth. On 1 April 2019, the NLW will increase by 4.9% to £8.21. This means that the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW will have increased by £2,750 since the policy was introduced. Increases to the NMW rates, also effective from 1 April, will continue to outstrip inflation. The Government estimates that in the Ashfield constituency 3,800 workers are paid the NLW (for those aged 25 and over) or NMW rates (for those aged between 16-24 and apprentices). This represents 9 per cent of the constituency’s workforce. This estimate is obtained from the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

Iron and Steel: Procurement

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a UK Steel Charter to increase transparency of steel procurement in the UK.

Richard Harrington: The transparency of steel procurement is important to ensure UK steel companies can access as many opportunities as possible; that is why the Government introduced specific steel procurement guidance in 2016. This guidance enables central government departments to consider relevant socio-economic and environmental factors, whilst also considering factors of quality, reliability, and value for money when undertaking the procurement of steel. The Government has also published this year compliance data from central government departments, which details that the relevant departments have fully complied with this guidance when procuring steel for major projects. In addition, we have published an update of the Steel Pipeline, signalling upcoming steel requirements for national infrastructure projects. We will continue to improve awareness of the steel procurement guidance across the public sector, and have offered to support the UK steel sector in its efforts for progressive discussions with existing, and potential, private sector customers; this will allow the UK steel sector to explore the benefits of a local supply chain, and shall foster closer collaboration across the industry.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armed Conflict

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report entitled, Protecting Children in 21st Century Conflict, published by Save the Children in February 2019, whether the recommendations in that report will be included in his Department's  Protection of Civilians Strategy.

Mark Field: The Government is currently reviewing its global strategy on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, and is committed to ensuring that its approach benefits all civilians, including children. The Government welcomes recent research carried out by academics and NGOs in this field, and will consult with them and take their work into account as it undertakes its own review.

Venezuela: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of (a) Colombia and (b) Brazil on the political instability in Venezuela; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​I discussed Venezuela with the Colombian Foreign Minister on two occasions: in New York at the UN Security Council on 26 January, and in Ottawa at the Lima Group meeting on 4 February. I also discussed Venezuela with the Brazilian Foreign Minister at the same Ottawa Lima Group meeting.

Nicaragua: Demonstrations

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Nicaragua on the repression and criminalisation of social protest in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We remain deeply concerned about reports of human rights violations in Nicaragua and are alarmed by the use of terrorism charges to criminalise protests. Our Ambassador to Nicaragua raised these issues with the Nicaraguan Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs during a visit to Managua between 5 and 7 February, and separately in a meeting of 25 February in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Sierra Leone: Overseas Aid

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what programmes his Department runs in Sierra Leone.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) runs programmes in Sierra Leone funded by the UK's Global Britain Fund. These cover issues such as access to justice, legal education and empowerment for women and girls in Sierra Leone, and LGBT rights. The FCO also runs the Chevening Scholarship programme in Sierra Leone which aims to achieve FCO objectives by creating lasting positive relationships with future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers. Her Majesty's Government also runs programmes in Sierra Leone to support human and economic development, governance and security sector reform, delivered through the Department for International Development and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. These include 'Saving Lives in Sierra Leone 2016', 'Rehabilitation of Freetown's Water Supply System', 'Leh Wi Learn - Sierra Leone Secondary Education Improvement Programme' and the 'International Security Advisory Team' (ISAT).

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the 25 February 2019 ICJ ruling on Chagos Islands sovereignty.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 25 February the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. An Advisory Opinion is not a judgment. We are considering the detail carefully, including consulting cross-Whitehall and with our overseas posts. The defence facilities on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) help to protect people here in Britain and around the world from terrorist threats, organised crime and piracy. The UK has a longstanding commitment to cede sovereignty over BIOT when we no longer need the territory to help keep us and others safe.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the UK ambassador to the UN on the 25 February 2019 ICJ ruling on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 25 February the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. An Advisory Opinion is not a judgment. We are considering the detail carefully, including consulting cross-Whitehall and with our overseas posts. The defence facilities on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) help to protect people here in Britain and around the world from terrorist threats, organised crime and piracy. The UK has a longstanding commitment to cede sovereignty over BIOT when we no longer need the territory to help keep us and others safe

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to respond to the International Court of Justice ruling on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 25 February the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. An Advisory Opinion is not a judgment. We are considering the detail carefully, including consulting cross-Whitehall and with our overseas posts. The defence facilities on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) help to protect people here in Britain and around the world from terrorist threats, organised crime and piracy. The UK has a longstanding commitment to cede sovereignty over BIOT when we no longer need the territory to help keep us and others safe.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of progress on UN Human Rights Commission resolution L30/1 on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: The UK continues to encourage and support Sri Lanka to deliver the commitments it made to the UN Human Rights Council through Resolutions 30/1 and 34/1. We firmly believe that this is the best framework for establishing truth and to achieve justice and lasting reconciliation. I have made these points personally to Sri Lankan Ministers, most recently in October 2018, and we look forward to continued engagement by Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council session that has just opened in Geneva.The UK welcomed the Annual Report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on 21 March 2018, which assessed progress made by the Sri Lankan government in the implementation of UN Human Rights Council resolution 30/1 and 34/1, which found that the Government of Sri Lanka has taken some steps to address human rights concerns and to introduce more democratic and accountable government.These include the return of some military-held civilian land, the establishment of an Office of Missing Persons and the ratification of the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. However, as I made clear to a range of senior Ministers on my visit to Colombo in October, more needs to be done. I have urged further progress on these issues, and encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to deliver meaningful devolution through constitutional reform, and to establish credible mechanisms for transitional justice.The UK has made a long-term commitment to improving human rights in Sri Lanka, and is dedicated to supporting the rebuilding of the country after three decades of conflict. The British High Commission in Colombo is in regular contact with the Government of Sri Lanka and other key stakeholders to encourage and support the implementation of Resolution 30/1.

Department for Exiting the European Union

UK Trade with EU

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether discussions have taken place with EU officials on the adoption of a customs union since the vote on the Withdrawal Agreement on 15 January 2019.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government’s position on customs is as set out in the Political Declaration and we seek to further agree these proposals in the next phase of the negotiations.The UK and the EU will put in place ambitious customs arrangements, using all facilitative arrangements and technologies, which meet the objectives and principles set out in the Political Declaration, including recognising the development of an independent trade policy by the UK beyond the economic partnership with the EU.The Government has been clear in it's customs proposals that we want an independent trade policy, which is not possible inside a customs union.

Brexit

Sir Henry Bellingham: What steps the Government is taking to prepare contingency plans for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. Our no deal preparations will ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality. Extensive preparations have been underway for over two years and these are continuing.We have passed critical legislation, signed international agreements, recruited additional staff and guaranteed certain EU funding in a no deal scenario. Border Force is recruiting c.600 additional Border Force officers and HMRC have already hired over 2,300 extra staff for Brexit, including additional operational staff, like customs inspectors.In September 2018, and again in December and February, HMRC sent letters to the 145,000 VAT registered businesses who currently trade with the EU advising them what action they need to take on customs in the event of no deal.We have also published and updated 106 specific technical notices to help businesses, citizens and consumers prepare for a no-deal scenario.

Department of Health and Social Care

Radioisotopes

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations he has received on alternative arrangements for breast cancer diagnostic and treatment procedures in the event that there is a shortage of radioisotopes in the UK.

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a shortage of radioisotopes on the number of breast cancer diagnostic and treatment procedures.

Stephen Hammond: A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified one item of correspondence received since 1 August 2018 about alternative arrangements for breast cancer diagnostic and treatment procedures in the event that there is a shortage of radioisotopes in the United Kingdom. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. We fully recognise that radioisotopes are vitally important to many people in this country including breast cancer patients. HM Revenue and Customs already has a process to identify ‘urgent goods’, such as medical radioisotopes, requiring faster handling to move through customs and border checks promptly. The Department has well established processes to manage and mitigate the small number of medicines shortages that may arise due to manufacturing or distribution issues. These processes include radioisotopes used in breast cancer diagnostic and treatment procedures. From January 2019, it became a mandatory requirement that the pharmaceutical industry must report this information to the Department in a timely manner. Following notification and risk assessment, the Department’s medicine supply team will continue to work behind the scenes with relevant stakeholders and use a host of tools to help mitigate and prevent an issue from impacting patients including the consideration of alternative treatment options. The Department is not aware of any significant radioisotope shortages that are currently affecting breast cancer patients.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to double the number of places on the PrEP Trial across all trial sites as soon as possible.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for the implementation of doubling the number of places on the PrEP Trial across all trial sites.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there has been a delay in doubling the number of places on the PrEP Trial across all trial sites.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has his Department made of the effecgt of the closure of Shine in Salford on the ability of Salford residents to access the HIV prevention drug PrEP under the PrEP Impact Trial.

Steve Brine: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 30 January 2019 that the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact trial would be expanded to 26,000 people. Work is currently underway with partners to take this forward. The PrEP Oversight Board has requested information on local capacity to make the additional places available, and will review this shortly. Further details on the timescale for implementation will be confirmed in due course. The Department has made no assessment of the effect of the closure of Shine in Salford. This is a matter for local commissioners.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the of the number of (a) GP practices offering cervical screening (i) outside and (ii) for limited periods during 9 to 5 working hours, (b) sexual health clinics that have stopped offering cervical screening tests and (c) vacancies for practice nurses trained to provide cervical screening; whether he has made an assessment of the effect on (A) screening rates and (B) cervical cancer cases of changes in the number of locations where individuals can obtain a cervical smear test; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department does not collect this information. NHS England is investing in initiatives to improve access to general practice as part of the GP Five Year Forward View. This includes access to all routine appointments, including cervical screening, at evenings and/or weekends. Local authorities are responsible for commissioning public health services in their areas, which includes commissioning of sexual health clinics.

Public Health: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of women of reproductive age living in an area where the sexual and reproductive health budget has been reduced; what assessment he has made of the effect of the change to the public health budget on access to sexual and reproductive health services; what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the public health budget in advance of the forthcoming Spring Statement; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Local authorities will receive over £3 billion in 2019/20, ring-fenced exclusively for public health. Additionally, the last spending review made £16 billion available to local authorities, payable over the current spending review period. Current regulations specify that local authorities must commission comprehensive open access sexual health services, including free sexually transmitted infections testing and treatment, the notification of sexual partners of persons with HIV and free provision of contraception. While councils have had to make savings, they have also shown that good results can be achieved at the same time. More people are attending sexual health services. The most recent data estimated that there were 3.3 million attendances in 2017 – an increase of 3% from 2016. We do not hold information on the number of women of reproductive age living in areas where the sexual health budget has been reduced. To help manage the overall increase in demand, local authorities have been utilising technology to manage lower risk and asymptomatic patients. As these services develop, they also have the potential to reach groups not currently engaged with clinic services. All decisions about future funding for public health functions will be made in the next spending review. There have been no specific discussions with the Chancellor about the public health budget in advance of the Spring Statement.

Nusinersen

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timescale is for patients to access Spinraza treatment for muscular atrophy types 2 and 3.

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on concluding a managed access treatment agreement for the use of Spinraza for patients with spinal muscular atrophy types 2 and 3.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the use of Spinraza (nusinersen) for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, including types 2 and 3. NHS England and NICE have been in discussions with the manufacturer of Spinraza, Biogen, to explore whether there are commercial flexibilities that might enable NICE to recommend the drug as a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. Biogen has now submitted a revised submission for NICE’s independent Appraisal Committee to consider and a meeting has been arranged for 6 March 2019 to consider the recommendations. In the absence of final guidance from NICE, clinicians can apply to NHS England for funding in exceptional cases through the individual funding request process.

Fertility: Research

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS has commissioned research on potential links between infertility and endometrium.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the largest public funder of health research in the United Kingdom. The NIHR is currently funding two specific studies researching potential links between infertility and endometrium, with combined total funding of over £3 million. One is on chronic endometritis and recurrent miscarriage, led by University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The second study is exploring induced endometrial trauma, which may help a fertilised egg implant in the womb, for women undergoing in vitro fertilisation. This is a multicentred randomised control trial being led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Department commissions research through the NIHR and welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including potential links between infertility and endometrium. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

Lung Diseases: Screening

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long Term Plan, what the timeframe is for the introduction of lung health checks in Southampton Care Commissioning Group.

Steve Brine: Local areas are beginning to work up plans for the implementation of lung health checks in their area, and funding has been made available to enable projects to start in 2019-20. Total costs are just under £70 million and will pay for nurses, radiographers and radiologists to provide lung health check appointments and low dose computed tomography (CT) scans. In the ten initial roll-out sites which include Wessex Cancer Alliance (Southampton Care Commissioning Group) there are approximately 600,000 eligible patients, who between them will require a total of 200,000 CT scans.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost has been to the NHS of treating injuries caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year since 2016.

Steve Brine: The most recent assessment of costs to the National Health Service in England associated with alcohol misuse estimated these costs to be £3.5 billion each year in line with 2009/10 prices. The Government does not update this estimate on an annual basis.

NHS: Drugs

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2019 to Question 220230 on NHS: Drugs, whether he has plans to undertake a public consultation on the proposed Framework.

Steve Brine: NHS England, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England. This framework will be tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders. In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England is actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to progress the development of the commercial framework, as set out in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access.

Cancer: Health Services

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2019 to Question 218743 on Cancer: Health Services, how the funding arrangement for sustainability and transformation plans (STP) will operate where a Cancer Alliance is aligned with more than one STP or integrated care system.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Cancer Alliance footprints will change in order to align with sustainability transformation plans and integrated care systems as stated in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Steve Brine: Cancer Alliances will work with their sustainability and transformation plans/integrated care systems (STP/ICSs) to develop local plans that set out how they will direct funding locally to address the cancer service transformation priorities for their local populations. Where a Cancer Alliance aligns with more than one STP or ICS, the Alliance is responsible for working with all stakeholders to agree the strategy for cancer across the Alliance geography, including allocation of funds for each of the local systems. The vast majority of Cancer Alliances are already coterminous with one or more sustainability and transformation plans/integrated care systems (STP/ICSs). The NHS Cancer Programme is working closely with regional and Cancer Alliance colleagues in the few areas where STP/ICS are not yet coterminous to carry out robust assessment of the options available. This work is under way and proposed changes will be reviewed and agreed in the coming months.

NHS: Drugs

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2019 Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, what plans NHS England has to consult patient organisations on the new commercial framework which is being developed.

Steve Brine: NHS England, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England. This framework will be tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders. In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England is actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to progress the development of the commercial framework, as set out in the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access.

Psychiatric Hospitals: West Midlands

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions were no mental health beds available for in-patient admissions in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Psychiatric Hospitals: West Midlands

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) available and (b) occupied beds for mental illness were open overnight under the care of consultants in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands on average in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not held in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Health Professions: Insurance

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposal for a state-backed indemnity scheme for health care professionals.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service (Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice) Regulations 2019 were laid in parliament on 25 February 2019 and come into force on 1 April 2019. The Regulations establish a scheme which provides indemnity cover for future clinical negligence liabilities of general practitioners, and others working in general practice in respect of services provided as part of the National Health Service in England. The Department also intends to establish the arrangements for an existing liabilities scheme in April 2019, subject to satisfactory discussions with the Medical Defence Organisations.

UK Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostics Collaborative

Sir Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 219373 on UK Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostics Collaborative, what representations his Department has received from members of that Collaborative; if he will publish the names of its members; and whether a Chair of that Collaborative has been appointed.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Veterans: Mental Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of mental health care provision for armed forces veterans.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department and other bodies look at these issues regularly. Data and progress of NHS England’s Veterans Mental Health Transition Intervention and Liaison Service and Complex Treatment Service is presented to the Ministry of Defence/UK Departments of Health Partnership Board, Joint Commissioning Group and the Cabinet Office led Covenant Reference Group. Both services are also continually assessed by NHS England. In England, as well as these veteran specific services, veterans are able to access mainstream mental health services. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies dataset reports annually and data indicates that over 20,000 veterans are utilising this avenue with very positive outcomes, often better than the general population.

Health Services: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for medical services for homeless people in Birmingham after the contract for primary care services for homeless people ends in March 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Care Quality Commission report on medical services for homeless citizens in Birmingham of October 2018, when he plans to re-tender the service; and if if he will lay a copy of the specification for that service in the Library.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There is a dedicated and specialist service for homeless people, and rough sleepers, in central Birmingham. To allow the clinical commissioning group (CCG) to design a service that fully meets the needs of this community, the CCG’s Primary Care Committee have agreed an extension of the current contract. The current service will remain in place until a new contract is awarded. The CCG will carefully monitor the quality of the services provided. A health service for homeless people in Birmingham will be developed and procured within the next two years. In addition to a bespoke general practitioner (GP) practice for homeless people in Birmingham, all homeless patients have the right to register with any GP practice that is local to them.

Dementia

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Long-Term Plan, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) patients with dementia and (b) family carers of patients with dementia.

Caroline Dinenage: Following the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, the National Implementation Framework, to be published in the spring, will provide further information on how the Long Term Plan will be implemented. Additional details, based on local health system five year plans, will be brought together in a detailed national implementation plan in the autumn. We will continue to work closely with key partners and stakeholders, including the Alzheimer’s Society and other voluntary sector partners, as we support the NHS in England to deliver the commitments set out in the Long Term Plan. In addition, we remain committed to delivering the Challenge on Dementia 2020 in full to make England the best country in the world for dementia care by 2020. The March 2016 implementation plan details how the commitments in the Challenge, across four core themes of risk reduction, health and care, awareness and social action, and research will be met.

5G

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the public health risks of the full roll-out of 5G.

Steve Brine: Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health evidence reviews have been prepared by scientific expert groups in the United Kingdom and around the world. The independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) published their report in the UK in 2012 and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) published their report in 2015. The World Health Organization is also currently preparing a review. The AGNIR report is available to view at following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/radiofrequency-electromagnetic-fields-health-effectsThe SCENIHR report is available at the following link:https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/scientific_committees/docs/citizens_emf_en.pdfBased on the accumulated evidence and reviews, Public Health England (PHE) advises that the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) should be adopted and currently there is no strong evidence that EMF exposures below the ICNIRP guideline levels cause adverse health effects.PHE has committed to keeping emerging evidence under review and to preparing another comprehensive review when sufficient new evidence has accumulated.

Obesity

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to reduce obesity in England.

Steve Brine: We published the second chapter of our world-leading childhood obesity plan in June 2018. This builds on the real progress we have made since the publication of chapter one in 2016, particularly in reformulation of the products our children eat and drink most. In chapter two we have set a bold ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce the gap in obesity between children from the most and least deprived areas by 2030. Many of the measures in both chapters of the plan will have an impact on tackling obesity across all age groups. These include the soft drinks industry levy, sugar reduction and wider calorie reformulation programme, restricting promotions and calorie labelling in restaurants which will improve our eating habits and reduce the amount of sugar we consume. ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2’ is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans his Department has in place to ensure that reciprocal healthcare arrangements stay in place for UK citizens living in European countries following the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without an agreement.

Stephen Hammond: The United Kingdom Government appreciates the importance of retaining reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the European Union and has been clear in the negotiations that it wants to protect the rights of UK citizens in the EU. Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario, including contingency planning, has been under way for over two years and we are taking necessary steps to ensure the country continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave. Subject to the Withdrawal Agreement being agreed by Parliament, during the implementation period the current rules on reciprocal healthcare will continue until December 2020. The rights of UK nationals living in the EU, and who fall within the scope of the Withdrawal Agreement, will continue to be protected after December 2020, for as long as these individuals remain in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement. This includes state pensioners already benefiting from that cover. In the event that the UK exits the EU without a deal, EU citizens resident in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to stay and continue to access in country benefits and services, including healthcare, on broadly the same terms as now. This demonstrates the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to citizens and removes any ambiguity over their future. We are engaging with EU counterparts to urge them to make the same commitment to protect the rights of UK nationals in the EU. The reciprocal healthcare system requires reciprocity from the EU or individual Member States and cannot be protected unilaterally. The UK Government is seeking agreements with Member States, so that no individual, including retired UK citizen living in other EU Member States, will face sudden changes to their healthcare cover. The Government has published updated advice for UK persons resident in countries in the European Economic Area as well as for those wishing to travel to such countries with specific information on potential changes to access to reciprocal healthcare and precautions they may wish to take in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. General information is available on the GOV.UK website and country-specific advice can be found under the relevant sections of NHS.UK as well. This includes guidance for UK citizens living in European countries and suggestions on alternative arrangements they may wish to make, should existing arrangements such as the European Health Insurance Card scheme cease, which appears as a section under the profile of each individual country. The information provided on these pages will be updated in light of new developments and changing circumstances.

Health Services: British Nationals Abroad

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure retired UK citizen living in other EU Member States will have access to healthcare in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The United Kingdom Government appreciates the importance of retaining reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the European Union and has been clear in the negotiations that it wants to protect the rights of UK citizens in the EU. Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario, including contingency planning, has been under way for over two years and we are taking necessary steps to ensure the country continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave. Subject to the Withdrawal Agreement being agreed by Parliament, during the implementation period the current rules on reciprocal healthcare will continue until December 2020. The rights of UK nationals living in the EU, and who fall within the scope of the Withdrawal Agreement, will continue to be protected after December 2020, for as long as these individuals remain in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement. This includes state pensioners already benefiting from that cover. In the event that the UK exits the EU without a deal, EU citizens resident in the UK by 29 March 2019 will be able to stay and continue to access in country benefits and services, including healthcare, on broadly the same terms as now. This demonstrates the UK Government’s ongoing commitment to citizens and removes any ambiguity over their future. We are engaging with EU counterparts to urge them to make the same commitment to protect the rights of UK nationals in the EU. The reciprocal healthcare system requires reciprocity from the EU or individual Member States and cannot be protected unilaterally. The UK Government is seeking agreements with Member States, so that no individual, including retired UK citizen living in other EU Member States, will face sudden changes to their healthcare cover. The Government has published updated advice for UK persons resident in countries in the European Economic Area as well as for those wishing to travel to such countries with specific information on potential changes to access to reciprocal healthcare and precautions they may wish to take in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. General information is available on the GOV.UK website and country-specific advice can be found under the relevant sections of NHS.UK as well. This includes guidance for retired UK citizens living in other EU Member States and suggestions on alternative arrangements they may wish to make, should existing arrangements such as the European Health Insurance Card scheme cease, which appears as a section under the profile of each individual country. The information provided on these pages will be updated in light of new developments and changing circumstances.

Psychiatric Hospitals: Hospital Beds

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to tackle the shortage of psychiatric beds in hospitals.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are clear that acute beds must always be available for people who need them, but providers also have a responsibility to offer care in the community as well as in hospitals. The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out how the National Health Service will provide more safe, evidence-based alternatives to inpatient beds in the form of intensive community treatment teams, which reduce the number of admissions, and, most importantly, enable patients to be treated closer to home. There are many different types of mental health bed – from high secure beds in special hospitals to psychiatric intensive care, open rehabilitation beds and recovery houses. The right mix of these beds, and of services that can be delivered in out-patient and non-residential community settings or in people’s homes, will vary by area according to local need. In February 2016, the Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care published a final report, ‘Old Problems, New Solutions: Improving acute inpatient psychiatric care for adults in England’, which highlighted that the ‘admission crisis’ is not simply due to a reduction of beds, but rather relates to hospital discharge issues and the lack of community care and alternatives to admission. The report is available via the following link: https://nhsproviders.org/media/2114/old-problems-new-solutions-report-lord-crisp-mhg-12-july-2016.pdf

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment her Department has made of whether Official Development Assistance spending is meeting targets set by the UK aid strategy.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID reports annually on its progress in meeting the objectives set out in the Aid Strategy, while other departments are responsible for reporting against their own ODA spend. The cross-government ODA Senior Officials Group is exploring ways to drive further coherence in monitoring.

Prosperity Fund

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding allocated from the Cross-Government Prosperity Fund complies with her Department’s duty on poverty reduction.

Harriett Baldwin: The primary purpose of the Prosperity Fund is reducing poverty through sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Each Prosperity Fund spending department is responsible for ensuring that its Official Development Assistance programmes meet the requirements of the International Development Act. DFID leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty and deliver the Global Goals, and is responsible to Parliament for the overall delivery of the UK’s 0.7 commitment.

Human Rights

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to protect human rights defenders throughout the world.

Harriett Baldwin: The FCO and DFID strongly support the vital role played by human rights defenders and civil society organisations in supporting sustainable and inclusive development.   DFID programmes support the protection and promotion of human rights across a range of areas such as health, education, peace and security, and the rights of girls and women. One example is the Jo Cox Memorial Grants that will support civil society at the grassroots to empower women to claim their political and economic rights and prevent identity-based violence in DFID priority countries. On International Human Rights Day in December the Secretary of State spoke at an Amnesty International UK event to highlight the work of five inspiring female human rights defenders.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total cost to the public purse has been of humanitarian aid sent to Yemen since the start of the civil war in 2015.

Alistair Burt: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains the largest in the world with nearly 80% of the population, over 24 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance. The UK has shown ongoing leadership in responding to the crisis, and by the end of the 2018/2019 financial year will have contributed £570 million in support to Yemen since the conflict began in 2015.   On 24 February 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide an additional £200 million for the Yemen response in the next financial year (2019/2020). This support will provide vital food assistance across Yemen to those most at risk of dying from starvation and disease, meeting the immediate food needs of over 3.8 million Yemenis for a month, treating 20,000 children for malnutrition and providing 2 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Prime Minister's statement of 24 February 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, to whom and in what capacity will the UK Government's £200 million funding for humanitarian support for Yemen be provided.

Alistair Burt: On 24 February, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide an additional £200 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen for the next financial year (2019/2020).   This funding will be provided through UN agencies operating in Yemen, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as international NGOs, including CARE. It will support these partners and others to provide millions of vulnerable Yemenis with cash and vouchers for food, treatment for malnutrition and disease, and to rehabilitate water and sanitation services.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Prime Minister's statement of 24 February 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, when the UK Government's £200 million funding for support for victims of the Yemen conflict will be released.

Alistair Burt: The additional £200 million announced by the Prime Minister on 24 February in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen will be spent over the course of the coming financial year (2019/2020). It brings the UK’s total commitment to Yemen to over £770 million since the conflict began in 2015.

Department for Education

Schools: Sheffield Hallam

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the National Funding Formula on (a) the number of school places, (b) spending per pupil, (c) school spending reserves  and (d) sustainability of school funding in Sheffield Hallam constituency.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formula allocates the significant majority of funding for schools on a per pupil basis. Where the number of places increases, and those places are filled, the formula will allocate more funding accordingly. Similarly, if the number of pupils (and school places) decreases, less funding is allocated.On average, schools in Sheffield Hallam constituency will attract 6.0% more funding per pupil by 2019-20, compared to 2017/18 – an increase of £248 per pupil. Total funding will increase by 7.6% when rising pupil numbers are also taken into account. These figures are based on 2018/19 pupil data.The national funding formula came into force in April 2018. The Department does not collect data on school balances for the 2018/19 financial year, and therefore cannot draw conclusions about its effect on school reserves.It is recognised schools have faced cost pressures in recent years. This is why a strategy has been announced setting out the support, current and planned, to help schools make the most of their available resources. The strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-excellent-school-resource-management.

Department of Education: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not complying with the criteria set out in the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, in each year since 2014.

Anne Milton: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Flexible Working

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of flexible working practices in schools for staff who are (a) expectant parents and (b) new-born parents.

Nick Gibb: With the changing demands of employees, it is more important than ever that teaching is compatible with having children and family life. Whilst the number of teachers working part time in teaching is increasing, there is still more to do to improve the flexible working offer in schools. This is why, in January this year, the Deaprtment published the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy which sets out the steps we are taking to promote flexible working opportunities in schools. This includes developing a new high-profile “find your jobshare” website that will support teachers who are looking for jobshare partners; and launching a competition for EdTech providers to create innovative solutions to promote and facilitate part-time and flexible working patterns, including timetabling tools. The Department will complement this with wider best practice resources and further research to support implementation of flexible working.

Sex and Relationship Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of teachers who have received specialist training on delivering lessons on health, sex and relationships in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) colleges.

Nick Gibb: The Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey, published by the Department in March 2018, showed that 85% of senior leaders said their school taught the existing Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education and Sex and Relationships Education, although they have different approaches in the way these lessons are taught. 51% of head teachers also said their schools would need a continuous professional development programme and examples of good practice to enable them to teach the new compulsory subjects. The survey can be viewed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/687010/Teacher_Voice_report_Summer_2017.pdf.The Department has committed to support schools with implementation, including training for teachers. Additionally, an early adopter school programme is being established to support early teaching of the new requirements, from September 2019. The lessons learned from these early adopter schools will be shared with those working to a slower timetable. The Department will also work with early adopter schools to support the design of the training programme and to refine the supplementary guide.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2019 to Question 222675 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, if he will publish the 21 local authorities that (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully requested permission to transfer more than 0.5 per cent out of the schools block to pay for high-needs SEND provision.

Nadhim Zahawi: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has received requests to transfer more than 0.5% out of the schools block to another block within the dedicated schools grant from the following 21 local authorities, and they have been approved as advised. Local authority Decision Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleApprovedBuryApprovedDarlingtonApprovedDerbyPartial approvalDorsetApprovedEnfieldApprovedHaltonApprovedHammersmith and FulhamApprovedHartlepoolApprovedHillingdonApprovedKentApprovedMiddlesbroughApprovedNorfolkApprovedNorth SomersetApprovedNorth YorkshireApprovedRichmond upon ThamesApprovedRotherhamApprovedSouth GloucestershirePartial approvalStockton on TeesApprovedTorbayApprovedWiltshireApproved

Specialist Schools: Complaints

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 219459 on Specialist Schools: Complaints, for what reason his Department does not hold information on complaints to that Department by parents who were dissatisfied with their school’s complaints procedure and subsequently made complaints to him on the use of restrictive practices in specialist schools; and whether he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. This is because our system for recording correspondence to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State logs cases by number and name, not by the substance of any complaint. As a result, we cannot search to identify complaints relating to the use of restrictive practices in specialist schools.

Children in Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children in the UK are (a) UK citizens and (b) non-UK EU nationals.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. This is because the department does not collect information on the nationalities of looked-after children.

Free School Meals: Primary Education

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England that were (i) eligible and (ii) not eligible for free school meals attended a primary school rated as (A) good and (B) outstanding in the academic year ending August 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: The attached table shows the number of children with or without eligibility for free school meals that attended primary schools rated as good or outstanding, in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire and England. As at 31 August 2018, 87% of children are now in primary schools in England rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’. 



225474_fsm_primary_table
(PDF Document, 7.82 KB)

Free School Meals: Secondary Education

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England who were (i) eligible and (ii) not eligible for free school meals attended a secondary school rated (A) good and (B) outstanding in the academic year ending August 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: The attached table shows the proportion of children with or without eligibility for free school meals (FSM) that attended secondary schools rated as good or outstanding, in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire and England. As at August 2018, 80% of children are in secondary schools in England rated as good or outstanding.  



225475_fsm_secondary_table
(PDF Document, 96.61 KB)

Children in Care: Ethnic Groups

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer on 19 February to Question 221613 on Children in Care: Ethnic Groups, whether the figures provided include children in care under Section 20 Voluntary Arrangements.

Nadhim Zahawi: The figures provided to question 221613 included all looked after legal statuses, excluding children looked after under an agreed series of short term arrangements, and so did include children in care under Section 20 Voluntary Arrangements.

Sex and Relationship Education

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral contribution of 25 February 2019, Official Report, how much funding in addition to that £6 million will be available to schools to enable them to (a) deliver high-quality (i) relationships and sex education and (ii) relationships education and (b) (i) train teachers and (ii) equip them with effective resources.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to supporting schools to teach the new subjects to a high standard, and will continue to work with subject experts to ensure schools are supported to improve their practice. This will focus on a supplementary guide, targeted support on materials, and training. The Department has announced a budget of £6 million in 2019-20 to develop this programme of support for schools. Funding beyond 2019-20 is a matter for the forthcoming Spending Review.The Department knows that many schools already teach these subjects well, often as part of Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education and will be able to adapt to the new requirements quickly. As part of the programme of support in the 2019/20 financial year, the Department is establishing an early adopter school programme to support early teaching of the new requirements from September 2019.The lessons the Department learns from these early adopter schools will be shared with schools working to a slower timetable, and it will work with early adopter schools to support the design of the training programme and to refine the supplementary guide.

Sex and Relationship Education

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how he plans to ensure that (a) Ofsted inspectors (i) know what good quality relationships and sex education and relationships education is, (ii) are trained in that education and (iii) are able to maintain school accountability and (b) Ofsted inspection processes are transparent.

Nick Gibb: The Department has worked with Ofsted to develop the recently announced revised draft guidance for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education. The content for these subjects also builds on the existing Sex and Relationships Education guidance (2000), that many schools already deliver as part of a planned personal, social, health and economic education and national curriculum subjects such as citizenship and science.Ofsted Inspectors will evaluate the extent to which a school is successfully promoting all aspects of pupils’ welfare, including learning how to stay healthy, about emotional and mental health, and safe and positive relationships. From September 2019, Ofsted proposes to introduce a new personal development judgement with a focus on these matters, and all inspectors will receive dedicated training on how to inspect effectively against this judgement.

Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of two-year-olds eligible for 15 hours of funded early education attend a maintained nursery school.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number and proportion of 2 year olds benefitting from funded early education attending a maintained nursery school is published in Table 1 of the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age’ statistical release available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2018.

Teachers: Stress

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to tackle (a) increased levels of stress among education professionals and (b) the effect of that stress on the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Nick Gibb: In January 2019, the Department launched the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy. This includes commitments to radically simplify the accountability system, limit the amount of change that schools have to deliver and provide extra support to tackle challenging pupil behaviour. It is also introducing an Early Career Framework for teachers, which includes mentor support, so that newly qualified teachers receive the support they need. The strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-recruitment-and-retention-strategy.The strategy sets out the areas where Government can make the most difference most quickly. It also marks the beginning of a conversation with head teachers about how the Department can support them to set a culture in their school that reduces unnecessary planning, marking and data requirements, supports teachers to deal with disruptive behaviour, and establishes a culture that values continued professional development and flexible working at all career stages.The Department continues to work with unions, teachers and Ofsted to challenge and remove unnecessary workload. A joint letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and other key national organisations was sent to school leaders in November confirming their support to help reduce workload in schools. The Department has accepted all the recommendations of the Making Data Work report and published a workload reduction toolkit as part of an ongoing programme to tackle excessive workload in schools. The report and Government response can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-workload-advisory-group-report-and-government-response.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of previous offences committed was by people given a custodial sentence of (a) up to six months and (b) six to 12 months in the last year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: The average number of previous offences of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for (a) up to six months and (b) six to 12 months in year ending September 2018, can be viewed in the table. The data relates to cautions or convictions for all criminal offences, imprisonable and non-imprisonable. Non-imprisonable offences will never result in a custodial sentence: the maximum penalty is a fine. Sentencing must match the severity of the crime. We will always hold in prison those criminals whose offences are so grave that no other penalty will suffice. However, sentences should also rehabilitate. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 9.17 KB)

Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number was of previous community orders handed down to offenders sentenced to prison for (a) up to six months; (b) six to 12 months and (c) over 12 months in the last year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: The average number of previous community orders handed down to offenders sentenced to prison for (a) up to six months; (b) six to 12 months and (c) over 12 months in the last year for which information is available can be viewed in the table. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.08 KB)

Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for which (a) offence and (b) offences each current prisoner serving a sentence of six months or less was imprisoned.

Rory Stewart: We have interpreted this question to mean the main offence of prisoners serving a sentence of six months or less. The offence(s) for which each prisoner serving a sentence of six months or less was imprisoned, as at 31 December 2018, can be viewed in the table. The most common offence was shoplifting. Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, who take into account all circumstances of the case, including any aggravating and mitigating factors. We are clear that sentencing must match the severity of a crime. We will always hold in prison those criminals whose offences are so grave that no other penalty will suffice. However, sentences should also rehabilitate. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.49 KB)

Shoplifting: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2019 to Question 220842 on Shoplifting: Sentencing, what the average number of previous offences committed by those sent to prison for a theft from a shop or stall offence was in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: Following on from Lucy Frazer’s response of 19 February to Question 220841, data on the average number of previous shoplifting offences resulting in a conviction or caution for those offenders sentenced to immediate custody for a shoplifting offence, covering the period year ending September 2016 - year ending September 2018, can be viewed in the table. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.27 KB)

Treasury

Funerals: Pre-payment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,  if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of urgently bringing forward legislative proposals for the regulation of the sale of pre-paid funeral plans under the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority.

John Glen: The government launched a call for evidence on the regulation of pre-paid funeral plans in June 2018, having concluded that the current framework of self-regulation is not sufficient to ensure the fair treatment of consumers, and a more robust regulatory regime is needed. The call for evidence was launched in order to aid in the design of a more appropriate regulatory framework and noted that government’s initial preferred approach is to bring all funeral plan contracts into the scope of FCA regulation. HM Treasury has now analysed the submissions to the call for evidence on pre-paid funeral plans and is currently reviewing the available policy options.

Taxation: Electronic Government

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,  if he increase the Making Tax Digital threshold of £85,000 turnover per annum from 1 April 2019 to help support sole traders.

Mel Stride: I updated the House on progress in implementing Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT on 19 February 2019: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-02-19/debates/802C22E7-88AF-4B3D-A5A6-E98E60F54E50/MakingTaxDigital Most sole traders who are registered for VAT are below the threshold and are therefore already exempt from MTD, though they can choose to join the new service. The decision announced in July 2017 to exempt businesses below the VAT registration threshold responded to feed back about the impact of MTD on the smallest businesses. There are currently no plans to increase the threshold for MTD for VAT. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is working to support small businesses that need help to transition to MTD and engage digitally.

Public Bodies: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Scottish public bodies have made representations to his Department on direct financial support to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to each of those public bodies.

Elizabeth Truss: Since the referendum, the Government has allocated more than £4.3 billion to help departments and the devolved administrations prepare for EU Exit. This includes £2 billion announced prior to the Christmas recess for core EU Exit preparations in 2019-20, for both deal and no deal scenarios. It is for departments and the Scottish Government to decide how to allocate this funding to Scottish public bodies operating in reserved and devolved areas respectively. The Scottish Government has been allocated almost £100m of additional EU Exit funding, comprising £54.7m for 2019-20, £37.3m in 2018-19 and £6.6m in 2017-18.

Connect Airways: Flybe

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the takeover of Flybe by the Connect Airways consortium.

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from investors on the takeover of Flybe by the Connect Airways consortium.

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the purchasing of Flybe working assets by the Connect Airways consortium.

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from investors on the purchasing of Flybe working assets by the Connect Airways consortium.

Elizabeth Truss: Aviation is crucial to our economy and the UK’s aviation sector continues to grow. The takeover of Flybe is a commercial matter. The Department for Transport continues to monitor the situation given the importance of regional connectivity to local economies. The Chancellor has not received written representations from investors on the takeover or the purchasing of the working assets of Flybe and in line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.

Banks

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the preparedness of UK banks for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

John Glen: The Treasury is in frequent contact with firms and regulators regarding their contingency planning for EU exit. Firms that are using the EU “passport” to serve clients in the EEA recognise that further steps to legal certainty remain, and are taking the sensible step of carrying out contingency planning with respect to their operations in the EEA in order to be ready for a scenario in which the UK leaves the EU without a deal. The Government is also doing the necessary work to make sure that we continue to have a stable and functioning financial services regime at the point of leaving the EU in any scenario and to minimise disruption for UK households and businesses. As the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee set out in the Financial Stability Report in November 2018, the UK’s banking system is strong enough to continue to serve UK households and business even through a disorderly Brexit, in which there is no deal and no transition period. That being said, we remain committed to preserving our competitive position in financial services after the UK has left the EU. An implementation period is the most effective means of ensuring a smooth and orderly exit from the EU. That is why leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority.

Financial Services: ICT

Matt Warman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the banking sector on facilitating electronic cashless payments on mobile devices.

Matt Warman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Royal Bank of Scotland on removing barriers for customers using electronic cashless payment methods on mobile phones.

John Glen: The Government supports digital payment methods, including contactless mobile payments, which offer consumers and businesses convenient, tailored, and flexible ways of making purchases. Last year, we published a Call for Evidence on cash and digital payments in the new economy. This sought to, amongst other things, explore how the Government can continue to support digital payments. The Government will respond to the Call for Evidence in due course. Regarding specific discussions, Treasury Ministers and Officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what housing support his Department provides to people over 55.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government recognises the importance of local funding for support services for vulnerable people including those over 55.The funding for housing related support services is subsumed within the local government finance settlement. This funding was ring-fenced until 2009, when the ring-fence was removed thus allowing all local authorities to manage funding according to local priorities. It is up to local authorities to decide which services they wish to fund.We are currently undertaking a review of housing related-support, to help us better understand how housing and support fit together. The review will give us a fuller picture into how housing-related support is provided for supported housing across England.The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) can also support all eligible, including older, people to adapt their homes, to make them safe and suitable for their needs. Since 2012-13, the Government has invested more than £2.2 billion into the Grant, providing around 280,000 adaptations by the end of 2018-19. The grant has more than doubled from £220 million in 2015-16 to £505 million in 2019-20. The DFG is ring-fenced ensuring local authorities are providing necessary adaptations and not re-purposing it elsewhere.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 217589 on Buildings: Insulation and with reference to the interim report of the Building Research Establishment for his Department entitled Fire Performance of Cladding Materials Research – Experimental methodology and performance criteria, for what reasons the bespoke testing methodology does not include measurement of the production of toxic smoke from burning materials.

Kit Malthouse: At this stage the study is aimed at developing a better understanding of the behaviour of a range of cladding products when exposed to fire and their possible contribution to fire spread. The findings will help determine, in consultation with the expert panel, any further action we should take. This could include further testing at large scale and/or advice to building owners.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 217589 on Buildings: Insulation and with reference to the interim report of the Building Research Establishment for his Department entitled Fire Performance of Cladding Materials Research – Experimental methodology and performance criteria, if he will consider criteria for mechanical failure in any future large-scale tests his Department commissions.

Kit Malthouse: As set out in table 1 of the interim report, mechanical failure will form part of the experimental assessment. Observation and reporting of mechanical failure is also required under the BS 8414 large scale methodology.

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress is being made to develop a sustainable funding model that gives survivors of domestic abuse the specialist services they need.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse. In January, Government published its landmark Domestic Abuse Bill in draft form and its consultation response setting out a package of other non-legislative measures to tackle this issue. These include commitments to fund a range of specialist domestic abuse services. More information can be found on Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-abuse-consultation-response-and-draft-bill.We have also carried out a review of how domestic abuse services are locally commissioned and funded across England. We have worked closely with sector partners, drawing on their data, expertise and knowledge and taken account of the findings of an independent audit of provision of domestic abuse services across England, led by Ipsos MORI.Following the review, we intend to consult on potential measures for sustainable delivery of support for victims and their children in accommodation-based services for domestic abuse across England shortly.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not complying with the criteria set out in the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, in each year since 2014.

Jake Berry: The Department follows the procurement policy on tax compliance for contracts over £5 million.However, MHCLG’s procurement team are not aware of any supplier having been excluded from a procurement process for non-compliance with PPN 03/14. As the Department does not maintain a record of decisions such as this, it is not possible to state categorically that the department has or has not excluded suppliers from procurement process for contracts over £5 million since 2014.

Homelessness: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Answer of 21 February 2019 to Question 222603 on Homelessness: Nottinghamshire, how much funding (a) Ashfield District Council and (b) Broxtowe Borough Council has received from (i) homelessness core funding and (ii) flexible homelessness support grant funding in each year since 2010.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping, which is why we have now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle it over the spending review period, including the £75 million Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI). We are particularly encouraged that across the 83 RSI areas rough sleeping numbers have fallen by almost a fifth. In its first year, councils have used the investment to create an additional 1,750 beds and provide 500 rough sleeping support staff – this means there are more people in warm beds tonight as a direct result of government funding. (i) homelessness core funding started in 2013/14 and (ii) flexible homelessness support grant commenced in 2017/18. The record we hold shows Ashfield and Broxtowe has received the funding below: Ashfield13/1414/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/20Homelessness Core Funding£50,000£49,252£49,235£49,180£49,263£49,371£49,338FHSG£51,501£54,762£91,632Total£50,000£49,252£49,235£49,180£100,764£104,133£140,970 Broxtowe13/1414/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/20Homelessness Core Funding£87,772£86,459£86,430£86,332£86,478£86,667£86,610FHSG£72,895£77,510£117,384Total£87,772£86,459£86,430£86,332£159,373£164,177£203,994 Details of flexible homelessness support grant can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexible-homelessness-support-grant-2019-to-2020.Details of homelessness core funding can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-visible-lines-of-funding-2019-to-2020.

Homelessness: Death

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of deaths of homeless people in local authorities in England since 2013.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Every person who dies while they do not have a place to call home is one too many and we have a moral duty to act. It should not happen that people die prematurely and on the street because they are homeless.In December 2018, the Office for National Statistics published valuable experimental statistics of the number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales registered in 2013-2017. The statistics showed an estimated 597 deaths of homeless people in England and Wales in 2017, as well as a follow up release with a breakdown by local authority. Their work shines a light on this important issue.Whilst we recognise that suitable housing is a key part of the solution, health services have a significant role to play, alongside other public services. My Department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that rough sleepers have the health care they need, when they need it. In its Long-Term Plan, the National Health Service will invest up to £30 million extra on meeting the needs of rough sleepers, to ensure that the parts of England most affected by rough sleeping will have better access to specialist homelessness NHS mental health support, integrated with existing outreach services.We are also ensuring that when a homeless person dies or is seriously injured as a result of abuse or neglect and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult, Safeguarding Adult Reviews take place so that local services can learn lessons from these tragic events to better prevent them from happening in the future.

Ministry of Defence

Arms Control: Inspections

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained arms control inspectors are employed by Her Majesty’s Government.

Mark Lancaster: The only full-time inspectors employed by Her Majesty's Government are at the Joint Arms Control Implementation Group (JACIG). JACIG has 16 trained inspectors qualified to support Treaty-related inspections, evaluation and verification for Conventional Arms Control Treaties. Their emphasis is on the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe; Vienna Document 2011 and Open Skies. JACIG also observes inspections under the 1995 Dayton Accords peace agreement.

Army: Health

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of army personnel that cannot be sent overseas due to medical reasons.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 February 2019 to Question 216134 to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr Andrew Rosindell).For the Army, the health and wellbeing of personnel is a priority. A range of initiatives and policies are continuously being developed and implemented to address the conditions which most frequently cause medical downgrades.The introduction earlier this year of new Physical Employment Standards for Ground Close Combat (GCC) roles followed evidence from research as part of a five-year programme that aims to reduce musculo-skeletal injury and optimise operational effectiveness. Work is now under way to develop the most suitable standards for non-GCC roles.Additionally, there are a number of initiatives that aim to provide long-term support to address poor lifestyle choices and weight management issues, which we recognise as an issue for modern society. For example, some units are trialling a Healthy Living programme, using wearable technology linked to an online application which aims to instil a personal responsibility culture for soldiers to maintain their fitness.



216134 - Armed Forces; Health
(Word Document, 22.63 KB)

Cyprus: Military Bases

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of maintaining British bases in Cyprus has been in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The cost of maintaining the British Bases in Cyprus, in each of the last five financial years is as follows:  Financial YearHard Facilities Management (£ million)Soft Facilities Management (£ million)Total (£ million)2018-19149.14216.66965.8112017-1855.38617.24972.6362016-1740.95017.23558.1852015-1651.62812.78664.4142014-1549.50318.63668.139Total246.60982.576329.185 1 Estimated Forecast of Outturn as at 31 January 2019

Cyprus: Military Bases

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many permanent British personnel are stationed at British bases in Cyprus.

Mark Lancaster: As at 22 February 2019, there were 2,361 UK personnel permanently stationed on British bases in Cyprus. This figure excludes UK personnel who are part of the United Nations mission OP TOSCA or OP SHADER and UK Locally Employed Civilians.

D-Day Landings: Anniversaries

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings this year.

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding the Government plans to allocate to the Daks Over Normandy event taking place to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Mark Lancaster: This Government pays tribute to the courageous men and women who participated in and contributed to the D-Day landings and, of course, the wider Normandy Campaign. The Government, through the Ministry of Defence, and in conjunction with the Royal British Legion, are proud to be supporting and participating in a wide range of commemorative events for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. These include the UK National event in Portsmouth on 5 June, and a series of events in Normandy.Daks over Normandy is a privately funded event with no official participation or funding from the Government. However, we applaud and congratulate organisations such as this that are contributing to the commemoration of the events of 1944.

Afghanistan: Armed Forces

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that Afghan Interpreters are eligible for help from UK service charities.

Mark Lancaster: When former Locally Employed Staff (LES) are relocated to the UK, we provide funding for four months of support by the Local Authority through a contracted support provider. These support providers offer assistance to the former LES in areas such as familiarisation with their new location and setting up their new home; finding school or nursery places for children; access to English language lessons, including women only classes, and courses to assist the former LES in finding employment. After the four month point, care and support properly become the responsibility of the local government and healthcare providers.We receive reports from Local Authorities on how successfully former LES have settled at the four month point. We cannot legitimately track former LES beyond this point. But, in the cases of severely disabled former LES, we have worked with Local Authorities, the care providers and a Service Charity (Help 4 Heroes) to facilitate additional charitable support.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many alleged violations of international humanitarian law by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen his Department is investigating.

Mark Lancaster: As at 26 February 2019, the number of alleged instances of breaches or violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen listed on the "Tracker" database maintained by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is 410. Of these, 15 are duplicate entries, which means that some incidents will have been recorded on more than one occasion likely because of the incomplete nature of Non-Governmental Organisation and media reporting upon which the MOD relies to update the "Tracker".The MOD does not assess allegations of IHL violations. The Saudi-led Coalition is best placed to do this and does so through its Joint Incident Assessment Team.

Air Force: Secondment

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Air Force personnel are on secondment to (a) BAE Systems and (b) EADS in (i) Saudi Arabia and (ii) the UAE; and what the roles of those seconded personnel are.

Stuart Andrew: As at 27 February 2019, the total number of RAF personnel on secondment with BAE systems in Saudi Arabia is 20. These personnel are in aircraft engineering support and aircrew instructor training roles.There are no RAF personnel on secondment with EADS or in the UAE.

Military Bases

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the global network of operational and logistic support bases for the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force for the purpose of delivering international security.

Mark Lancaster: In answering this question, we have defined 'the global network of operational and logistic support bases' to mean any overseas Ministry of Defence owned or leased bases.Due to the Joint nature of military operations it is difficult to allocate these bases to a single Service in any meaningful way. The list is as follows:British Forces GermanyBritish Forces CyprusBritish Forces GibraltarBritish Forces South Atlantic Islands- Falkland Islands- Ascension IslandBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Defence Singapore Support Unit, SingaporeJoint Logistics Support Base, Duqm, Oman.Naval Support Facility, Bahrain

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Young People

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2018 to Question 182257 on Universal Credit: Lone Parents, what evidence her Department has that claimants who are under 25 have lower living costs.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit was designed to simplify the benefits system and focus on getting people into work and supporting in-work progression. It has a much simpler age-related structure which aligns the rates for claimants who are under the age of 25 years. By setting a clear benefit rate for under 25s this reflects the lower wages that younger workers typically receive. This is intended to maintain the incentive for younger people to find work. Additional amounts that are added to provide for particular needs such as children and disability are paid at a standard rate.

Universal Credit

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of full service universal credit claimants who have had their claims stopped re-apply the following month, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 12 February 2019



The table below shows the number Universal Credit reclaims in the month following a claim closure. It includes claims that are closed at any stage of the claim and includes those that fall within the re-claim process. This is where claimants who meet certain conditions and return to Universal Credit within 6 months of their previous award ending, can make a claim under an easier reclaim process. The majority of the reclaims in August 2018, had their initial claim closed because of a split in a couple claim (28%); the claimant making an additional claim linked by National Insurance Number resulting in the original claim being closed (26%); and because the Claimant did not accept their Claimant Commitment (22%). Closure monthClaimants re-applying within 30 daysProportion of closed claimsJuly-201816,40021%August-201819,00021%Figures have been rounded to nearest 100 and 1%.

Universal Credit: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have migrated to universal credit in Havering in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question 208805 on 23 January.

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who previously received disability living allowance and who have a primary condition of epilepsy have (a) failed their initial assessment for personal independence payments (PIP)and (b) have experienced a reduction in their payment as result of changing to PIP in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK in each year since 2013.

Sarah Newton: The tables attached show the comparison of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) award before and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) award after the DLA to PIP reassessment number of people with epilepsy as their main disabling condition in both Scotland and Great Britain. The data is also split by calendar year from 2013 when PIP was introduced to October 2018. 



DLA to PIP Reassessment outcomes
(PDF Document, 24.69 KB)

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2019 to Question 221994, whether it was the research contractor or the Department who made the decision to report without differentiating between live and full service; for what purpose live service was included as a separate sample to full service in the claimant survey at the beginning of the 2017-18 year; whether live service and full service have been reported separately internally for 2017-18; what the total cost was of the claimant survey research conducted for 2017-18; what plans he has to compare the full service findings of the 2018-19 claimant survey with the full service findings from the 2017-18 survey; and what questions within the survey questionnaire have not been reported within the annual report and data tables.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the online application form for universal credit, how many people answered Yes to the question, Did anyone help you make your claim - for example a family member, friend or someone from the jobcentre or a charity, in each month since December 2015.

Alok Sharma: Information on help with the digital claim was not collected before December 2016. The table below provides the requested information we hold. MonthTotal% of Universal Credit claims declared Dec-162,00019%Jan-174,00021%Feb-174,00021%Mar-175,00021%Apr-174,00022%May-175,00023%Jun-176,00022%Jul-177,00022%Aug-178,00023%Sep-178,00023%Oct-1710,00023%Nov-1713,00024%Dec-1712,00024%Jan-1821,00022%Feb-1819,00023%Mar-1821,00022%Apr-1822,00022%May-1823,00022%Jun-1827,00022%Jul-1833,00021%Aug-1836,00022%Sep-1837,00022%Oct-1845,00022%Nov-1848,00022%Dec-1838,00022% The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured toNational Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. These results can change retrospectively as further information is received. They should therefore be treated with caution.The numbers provided are the number of claimants that answered ‘yes’ to the question 'Did you have help making your claim’.Information on help with the digital claim was not collected before December 2016.Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000.These figures are for GB.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the length of time required for new claimants to complete the online application form for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. To help claimants using online services, Universal Support is available, which is advice, assistance or support to help Universal Credit claimants with managing their claim or award. From 1 April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will deliver a new “Help to Claim” service to support vulnerable claimants through the process of making a claim to Universal Credit. For those unable to access or use digital services, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. The Universal Credit Service Centre will establish the best means of support available, which could be signposting to Universal Support delivered locally, the local Jobcentre Plus office or telephony support. A home visit can also be arranged to support a claimant in making their initial claim and completing any other administrative tasks required to ensure the claimant receives the correct payment.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to assess the efficacy of the health assessment process for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment claims; and whether she plans to introduce lifetime awards for claimants of those benefits with long-term health conditions which are unlikely to improve.

Sarah Newton: Between 2010 and 2014 there were five independent reviews of the Work Capability Assessment. The Department accepted and implemented the vast majority of the recommendations. There have also been two independent reviews of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment, and the Department has accepted or partially accepted all of the recommendations made. Since September 2017 those placed in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group, and the Universal Credit equivalent, who have the most severe and lifelong health conditions or disabilities, whose level of function would always mean that they would have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, and be unlikely ever to be able to move into work, are no longer routinely reassessed. And in PIP, award durations have always been based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point. An update to the guidance for Case Managers, introduced in August 2018, now ensures that those claimants on the highest level of support, whose needs will not improve, receive an ongoing award, with a light touch review at the 10-year point.

Carer's Allowance: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living in Ashfield constituency receive carer's allowance; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in Ashfield constituency who undertake caring responsibilities without receiving that allowance.

Sarah Newton: The information requested on the number of individuals in receipt of Carer’s Allowance by parliamentary constituency is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html The Department does not hold data on the number of individuals who undertake caring responsibilities by parliamentary constituency. The Family Resources Survey (FRS) provides the department with the number of informal carers by gender, income and age but does not include any geographical breakdown below the regional level. The latest FRS tables can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-201617 Since April 2010, carers who are not entitled to Carer's Allowance, may be able to apply for carer's credits if they are caring for one or more disabled people for at least 20 hours a week. Carer’s Credits are Class 3 credits which can help towards the conditions of entitlement to the new State Pension and Widowed Parent’s Allowance. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers on low incomes can claim income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit. These benefits can be paid to carers at a higher rate than those without caring responsibilities through the carer premium or the equivalent additional amount for carers respectively.

Jobcentres: Computers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February to Question 221633 on Jobcentres: Computers, how many JobPoints/JobKiosks were available for public use in each of the regions of England in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not held.

Employment and Support Allowance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work on 25 February 2019, Official Report, from which areas of departmental work the 1,200 staff assigned to correct employment and support allowance underpayments are being transferred.

Sarah Newton: In 2018/19, across the Department, we increased our resources by 4,209 FTE to manage all demands including LEAP exercises. We have not stopped any priority work to carry out the ESA underpayments exercise.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the non-stun slaughter of animals; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare and would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter, but respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their beliefs. The European Council Regulation 1099/2009, on the protection of animals at the time of killing sets out the main requirements for slaughter including a requirement that all animals are stunned by a permitted method before slaughter. The EU Regulation includes a derogation from stunning for religious slaughter but also allows individual Member States to impose stricter national rules for religious slaughter. In England, The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 (WATOK) enforce the EU requirements and contain stricter national rules that apply when animals are slaughtered by either the Jewish or Muslim method. The Government is committed to maintaining a derogation from stunning for religious slaughter in our domestic legislation once we leave the EU.

Reindeer: Imports

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, from which countries UK imports of live reindeer have been suspended in light of the recent incidence of chronic wasting disease; and on what date each country’s suspension came into force.

David Rutley: As a precautionary measure, in October 2016 the EU banned the import of live cervids from Norway, where the disease was first confirmed in Europe, and introduced safeguard measures to limit the seasonal movements of live cervids between certain regions of Norway, Finland and Sweden. Following the confirmation of the first case of chronic wasting disease in Finland in March 2018, the Finnish Government voluntarily introduced a ban on the export of live cervids. The UK will continue to implement EU controls on cervid imports following our departure from the EU.

Plastics: Waste

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the export of plastic waste to developing countries; and if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of a complete ban on plastic waste exports to developing countries.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government wants to export less waste and make sure the waste we do have to export is handled properly. As set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy, the government is putting in place measures to improve the quality of the materials we collect for recycling as well as creating domestic markets for these materials. The government recently published four consultations which will support these ambitions: consistency in materials collected for recycling, reform of the packaging waste producer responsibility system, a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and a tax to encourage the use of recycled material in plastic packaging. In addition, we will seek to tighten controls on exports of all waste, and are exploring a range of measures including increasing monitoring of international waste shipments, improved provision for waste repatriation, and charging higher fees to improve compliance with waste shipment controls. While waste is a commodity, and there is a global market for secondary materials, it must be and is subject to strict controls. Under EU legislation non-OECD countries elect the controls to be applied in respect of waste exports to their countries from the EU, choosing either to prohibit specific wastes, require prior written approval, apply their own national procedures or no control measures. The authorities in countries that receive waste from the EU need to be clear about the types of waste they will accept and the waste import procedures they require exporters in the EU to adhere to. The EU Waste Shipment Regulations impose strict conditions on the types of waste that can be exported, and set out procedures that waste exporters must follow. They prohibit the export from the EU of waste for disposal to a country outside the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). Regulation 21 of the UK Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations makes it an offence to transport waste destined for disposal to countries outside the EFTA. The UK has a robust approach to enforcing these controls. In 2017 the Environment Agency (EA) inspected more than 1,000 shipping containers and returned 367 of these to their site of loading. The EA stopped over 7,000 tonnes of waste at ports and prevented nearly 9,000 tonnes of waste from reaching ports.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2019 to Question 206757 on Environmental Stewardship Scheme, how many of those agreements did not have any aftercare visits.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The answer to Question 206757 records that 1892 Agreements lasted the full ten years. A total of 1677 of these received one or more visits. While this data suggests 215 of these agreements did not receive a visit, this data has only been held since 2014 and does not record where visits may have occurred in the years prior to this date.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2019 to Question 206757, on Environmental Stewardship Scheme, how many of those visits occurred in the final year of the agreement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Of the 1677 visits recorded, 866 of these are recorded as visits in the final year of the agreement. Records have only been collated since 2014 and many of these agreements will also have received visits prior to their final year.

Animal Welfare

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of enforcement of laws on animal cruelty.

David Rutley: The animal welfare laws in England contain effective powers to enable their robust enforcement. Any person or organisation, such as the RSPCA, can take forward private prosecutions under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The RSPCA in particular investigates many allegations of animal welfare offences where additional powers are needed, for example to gain entry or to seize animals. The RSPCA will often work in partnership with the police or local authorities who have these specific powers under the Act. In addition, the Government is increasing the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences from six months’ to five years’ imprisonment.

Waste: Exports

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of waste exporters who have not demonstrated that the importer of their waste operates to human health and environmental protection standards that are broadly equivalent to the standards within the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There is a system of international rules on waste shipments. The UK is a Party to the United Nations Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. The Convention provides a global system for controlling the export of hazardous wastes and wastes collected from households. The requirements of the Basel Convention have been implemented in UK law by the EU Waste Shipment Regulations (Regulation (EC) 1013/2006) and the UK Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007. The legislation requires that those involved in the shipment of waste take all necessary steps to ensure waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and during its recycling or recovery. In 2017 the Environment Agency (EA) inspected over 1,000 shipping containers and returned 367 of these to their site of loading. This stopped over 7,000 tonnes of waste not fit for export at ports, and they also prevented nearly 9,000 tonnes of waste from reaching ports. As part of the Producer Responsibility system for packaging, WEEE and batteries waste streams, the EA is informed annually about the overseas sites exporters intend to use. Companies exporting to non-EU and non-OECD countries are asked to provide evidence that each overseas re-processor is suitably permitted and operates to broadly equivalent standards. Follow up assessment by the EA may include discussions with the competent overseas authority and the other devolved agencies. A list of acceptable evidence to support broadly equivalent standards has been created from this process. The list is regularly reviewed and shared externally with operators to ensure a consistent approach. As a result of our assessment, 95 overseas sites were refused approval for 2018. The agency uses a wide range of sources of intelligence to create a risk profile of these exporters which feeds into our compliance monitoring programme of visits and desk top monitoring. In 2017, 3.9m Tonnes (around 40%) of the estimated 10m Tonnes of Green List waste exported from the UK was exported by accredited packaging exporters, and subject to these checks. We recognise we need to do more to eliminate improperly-handled exports of wastes. Firstly, we need to grow our domestic waste industry so that we can handle more of it at home, reducing exports as far as possible. Secondly, we need to ensure strict controls are in place so that the waste we do have to export is dealt with properly. As part of the recently published Resources and Waste Strategy, Defra has committed to reviewing the regulatory framework covering waste exports. This will review the quality of exports for recycling and ensure that exports of all wastes are recycled at sites operating to equivalent standards to those required in the UK. The review is scheduled to take place this year and will consider options for the mandatory submission of ‘Annex VII’ paperwork (details of the waste being exported and all parties involved in its shipment and recovery overseas) in advance of shipments taking place. The review will also look at any associated IT systems required and charges needed for compliance monitoring activity. Other measures that we are developing include improved provision for waste repatriation, and charging higher fees to improve compliance. These changes aim to ensure any waste we do send abroad is fit for recycling and that it is recycled to equivalent standards as required in the UK. This should create a more level playing field for domestic recyclers as well as reducing the chances of exported waste being mishandled.

Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to increase standards for the care and protection of animals after the UK leaves the EU.

David Rutley: The Government has been very clear that our departure from the EU will not lead to a lowering of our high animal welfare standards. Our regulatory system will offer at least the same level of assurance of animal welfare following our departure from the EU as it does now. The EU Withdrawal Act will ensure that existing EU standards are maintained once we leave the EU, and we are actively exploring options for strengthening the UK system moving forward. This includes plans to increase maximum penalties for animal cruelty from six months’ to five years’ imprisonment.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the ban on gestation crates for pigs will remain in force in the event of a future UK-US trade agreement.

David Rutley: The Government is proud of the high food safety and animal welfare standards that underpin our high-quality Great British produce. The UK will maintain its high standards as part of any future free trade agreements. In the UK, close-confinement stalls for breeding sows have been banned since 1999. The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 requires all sows and gilts to be kept in groups. This protection will continue after we leave the EU.

Canoeing

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote open access to waterways for canoeists.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Access to waterways, including for recreational purposes, remains subject to licence by the relevant navigation authority or to agreement with the riparian landowner where there is no navigation authority in place.

Air Pollution

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, through what mechanisms his Department receives data on levels of air pollution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra’s national network of air quality monitors currently comprises 271 sites across the UK and is managed by the Environment Agency (EA). Sites are organised into networks that gather information for a wide range of pollutants in towns, cities as well as in rural areas. Some monitoring sites are focused on measuring specific sources – e.g. road traffic or industry whilst others are focused on background concentrations. All monitoring data is made available on our UK-AIR website. Data from the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) is reported in near-real-time and is updated every hour. The website URL is: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/. In addition, local authorities submit their monitoring data and local actions to Defra in their Annual Status Reports. This is a requirement under the Local Air Quality Management process, underpinned by the Environment Act 1995.

Air Pollution: EU Law

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has plans to replicate EU regulations on air pollution in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The EU Withdrawal Act makes sure existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law, providing businesses and stakeholders with maximum certainty as we leave the EU. Under the Withdrawal Act, the UK Government has laid in Parliament Statutory Instruments which ensure continuity of air quality regulation, standards and transparency in the event of a no-deal scenario (in particular The Air Quality (Miscellaneous Amendment and Revocation of Retained Direct EU Legislation) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018 and The Air Quality (Amendment of Domestic Regulations) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019).

Recycling

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to introduce legally binding recycling targets after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK Government already has a legally binding target to recycle 50% of household waste by 2020.The Government has also stated that it would adopt the Circular Economy Package (CEP) target to recycle 65% of municipal waste by weight by 2035. The UK is currently considering options for transposing the CEP (subject to an implementation period) as well as consulting on the general provisions set out in the CEP.

Non-native Species: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government takes to monitor compliance with the eight restrictions listed under Article 7 of EU Regulation No 1143/2014 on invasive alien species; and what plans the Government has to monitor compliance with these eight restrictions, after the UK has left the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is taking steps to implement the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement & Permitting) Order 2019, which will empower the Police, Natural England, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and UK Border Force to monitor and record evidence of non-compliance with Article 7 of the EU Regulation No 1143/2014 on invasive alien species. The EU Regulation will be converted into UK law and, as such, its protections will continue after the UK has left the EU.

Air Pollution: Children

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of UNICEF UK on the recommendations published in that organisation's recent report Healthy Air for Every Child: A Call for National Action.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretaries of State for Environment and Health recently attended the Clean Air Summit, at which a number of representatives of UNICEF were also present. UNICEF’s representatives used this opportunity to highlight findings of their report and to discuss its recommendations to reduce the impact of air pollution on the most vulnerable members of society, including our children. Our Clean Air Strategy is clear that children are impacted by air pollution more than the general population, and all the measures set out in the Strategy will reduce emissions of pollution, improving public health. The Honourable Member will be aware that air quality is a devolved matter.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not complying with the criteria set out in the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, in each year since 2014.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Biodiversity

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2019 to Question 216362 on Biodiversity, how much funding his Department has allocated to each organisation in relation to reducing biodiversity loss in each year since 2014.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Department does not allocate funding specifically for reducing biodiversity loss. Funding is allocated to Defra non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and executive agencies in order to support their functions including biodiversity conservation. It is for those bodies to allocate resources to programmes aimed at tackling biodiversity loss. Funding allocated to NDPBs and executive agencies is only a small proportion of the Government funding for biodiversity. For example, funding for agri-environment and forestry agreements, and for marine biodiversity also address biodiversity conservation.

Tree Planting

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Woodland Carbon Guarantee Scheme on biodiversity loss; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the criteria of the scheme to include the enhancement of biodiversity.

David Rutley: Trees planted under the Woodland Carbon Guarantee will be required to meet high standards around sustainable forest management, resilience and biodiversity, in line with the UK Forestry Standard, in order to qualify for funding. Defra and the Forestry Commission are working with the forestry sector and green finance experts to develop the details of the scheme.

Natural England: Licensing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the transparency of Natural England's licencing system.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Natural England publishes information on the different types of licences available and how to apply to use them on GOV.UK. Where an application results in a licence not being issued, Natural England will provide the applicant with an explanation for this. Natural England has an ongoing programme of reviewing and, where appropriate, reforming the licensing system. Detailed reviews (including public consultation) of the general and class licences were undertaken in 2014 and 2008/9.

Animal Products: Imports

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to ban the importation of hunting trophies.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, on 21 January 2019 to PQ 209402.

Home Office

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2019 to Question 187307 on Home Office: ICT, how many of those 352 contingent staff were employed by his Department for (a) zero to three, (b) three to six, (c) six to 12 and (d) more than (i) 12 and (ii) 24 months.

Victoria Atkins: The figure of 352 contingent staff provided also included those staff classed as supplier resource. Of the 352, 7 are classed as contingent labour and of these 1 has been employed (b) 3-6, 3 have been employed (d) more than (i) 12 and 3 have been employed (d) more than (ii) 24 months.

Home Office: Employment Agencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2019 to Question 187307 on Home Office: ICT, if he will publish the agencies used to secure the 352 contingent staff; and how much money his Department spent with each of those agencies in relation to securing staff for the Common Platform programme since the start of that project.

Victoria Atkins: It is not possible to split the 7 members of staff who class as contingent labour into a specific part of the IPT programme as they work across the programme and not one area such as the Common Data platform.Of the 7 staff the total contract cost applies to each of the following agencies: Badenoch and Clark £577,503.96; Alexander Mann Solutions £520,999.23; Hays Specialist Recruitment £463,058.13; The Artful Recruiter £237,952.00; Reed Specialist Recruitment £280,493.09. Please note this is the total cost of the contract assuming employment to the fixed contract end date.

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2019 to Question 187307 on Home Office: ICT, if he will publish the roles of the 352 contingent staff.

Victoria Atkins: The following roles apply to the 7 contingent staff; Digital Delivery Manager Senior x2, Programme Director, Digital Senior Business Designer, Head of Communications, Programme Manager x2.

Immigration: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Scottish higher education sector on the proposed three-year limit to the European Temporary Leave to Remain scheme in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on EEA students wishing to study at Scottish universities of setting the time limit for the European Temporary Leave to Remain scheme at three years.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to extend the three-year time period for the European Temporary Leave to Remain scheme for EEA students wishing to study at UK universities.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether students arriving at Scottish universities under the European Temporary Leave to Remain scheme would have to apply for a Tier 4 visa mid-way through their studies in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has regular contact with representatives of the higher education sector, and the Scottish Government, and will continue to consult with the relevant stakeholders during the course of our 12 month engagement with stakeholders on the UK’s future skills-based immigration system.Securing a deal with the European Union remains the Government’s top priority. However, it is prudent to plan for every scenarioThe Government has been consistently clear that once the UK has left the EU, free movement will end. In a no-deal scenario a temporary, transitional arrangement will be implemented until the future skills-based immigration system comes into force.In this scenario, once free movement has ended, EEA citizens will still be able to enter the UK as they do now during the transition period, for an initial stay of up to three months and will be able to visit, work or study without applying for a visa. If EEA citizens want to stay in the UK for more than three months, they will need to apply in the UK within this time for European Temporary Leave to Remain, which may be granted for a further 36 months.This arrangement should cater for the needs of the majority of international students. However, we do recognise that there are a number of students for whose studies are longer than three years, including some studying at Scottish universities.In the event of no deal, EEA citizens wishing to come to the UK to study for more than three years could obtain European Temporary Leave to Remain and, at the conclusion of the period of leave, apply for a student visa under the future immigration system.Alternatively, the student could apply at the outset for a Tier 4 visa under the existing system which would enable them to secure leave covering the entire duration of their studies. We have been very clear that there will continue to be no limit on the number of international students who can come to study in the UK.

Visas: Overseas Students

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who entered the UK on a student visa were (a) detained and (b) removed from the UK in each year since 2014.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally. Providing the information requested would require a trawl through Immigration databases, which could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Theft: Vehicles

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the number of thefts from work vehicles that have taken place  in (a) the UK, (b) Hampshire and (c) Portsmouth since since 2016.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects data on police recorded crime including theft from a vehicle. These are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The latest figures, for the year ending September 2018, can be accessed here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesHowever, these data do not identify whether or not the theft is from a work vehicle.

Visas: Fees and Charges

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what refunds or other compensation are available to visa applicants whose visas are not processed within the target time.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) refunds and (b) other compensation are available to visa applicants who pay for the super priority service which promises a decision within one working day when that timeline is not met.

Caroline Nokes: UK Visas and Immigration consider all requests for refunds on a case by case basis. Whether a refund is issued will depend on the specific circumstances of each case.Requests should be made via the complaints process:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about/complaints-procedure#how-to-complain

British Nationality

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK citizens have had their citizenship revoked by the Government since 2010.

Mr Ben Wallace: The British Nationality Act 1981 provides the Secretary of State with powers to deprive a person of citizenship status. Section 40(2) allows the Secretary of State to deprive any person of British citizenship, should they deem it conducive to the public good to do so. Section 40(3) allows the Secretary of State to deprive a person who has obtained citizenship by naturalisation or registration, where the Secretary of State is satisfied that citizenship was obtained by means of fraud, false representation or concealment of material fact.Three reports have been published to date in 2015, 2017 and 2018, which provide figures for section 40(2) deprivations. Figures for May 2010 to December 2014 are included in the 2015 report, figures for 2015 are in the 2017 report and the annual figures for 2016 and 2017 are listed in the 2018 report. The links to these reports are below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/473603/51973_Cm_9151_Transparency_Accessible.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593668/58597_Cm_9420_Transparency_report_web.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disruptive-and-investigatory-powers-transparency-report-2018Data relating to deprivation on fraud grounds under section 40 (3) is not currently published.

Cabinet Office

Breast Cancer: Mortality Rates

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish data on the under 75 directly age-standardised breast cancer mortality rates in women per 100,000 (European Standard Population) by Clinical Commissioning Group in (a) 2012-14, (b) 2013-15, (c) 2014-16 and (d) 2015-17.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 95.78 KB)

Breast Cancer: Death

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women aged under 75 years died from breast cancer, by CCG, in (a) 2012-14, (b) 2013-15, (c) 2014-16 and (d) 2015-17.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response
(PDF Document, 95.78 KB)

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of pending electors in each constituency in each year for which data is available.

Chloe Smith: There is no single definition of a ‘pending elector’ in legislation or elsewhere. Any data on pending electors would therefore be defined and held at a local level. Given this, the Government is not able to make an estimate of the number of pending electors in each constituency.

Electoral Register

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the compatibility of registration officers’ systems for managing registration data.

Chloe Smith: With the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in 2014, the Cabinet Office worked with the Electoral Management Systems (EMS) providers to ensure they were compatible with the Government’s IER Digital Service. Compatibility with the IER Digital Service means that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) can manage registration data through their EMS by downloading applications submitted through the Register to Vote website, uploading applications to be verified with the Department of Work and Pensions, and notifying other EROs about electors who have moved from their area. We continue to work with the suppliers to ensure any changes to the IER Digital Service retain compatability with the EMSs.

Regulation

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the recommendations of the Reducing Regulation Committee are; and what steps the Government is taking to implement those recommendations.

Oliver Dowden: The Reducing Regulation Committee (RRC) is the primary forum in Government for securing collective agreement on issues related to reducing regulation. There are no definitive criteria for which issues engage collective responsibility but, as set out in the Cabinet Manual, issues which are likely to lead to significant public comment or affect more than one department will usually require collective agreement through Cabinet or a Cabinet Committee.As the RRC is a Cabinet Committee, correspondence or discussions between its members are not publicly disclosed to protect the principles of collective responsibility. The Committee's function is to collectively agree the Government position on the matter that has been put to it, which will then be taken forward by the relevant department, almost always in a manner which will enter the public domain. As such, the Committee is just one element of the Government's wider efforts to reduce regulation led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts due to not meeting the criteria in his Department's Procurement Policy Note 03/14 in each year since 2014.

George Hollingbery: No suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts due to not meeting the criteria in Procurement Policy Note 03/14 since the Department for International Trade was created in July 2016.

Dietary Supplements

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether (a) medicinal foods (b) food supplements will be classified as pharmaceuticals for tariff purposes after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Government will continue to apply the current classification of goods, as published in the UK Trade Tariff, from Exit day. Medicinal foods and food supplements can be classified as food products or pharmaceuticals, depending on the specific product in question. Further information on the Government’s plans for classification of goods in a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario can be found in the technical notice ‘Classifying your goods in the UK Trade Tariff if there’s no Brexit deal’.

Exports: Licensing

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 217627 on Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia and the Answer of 21 February 2019 to Question 222576 on Cryptography: Exports, for what reason (a) the Open Individual Export Licences in relation to air-to-surface missiles are not commercially confidential and (b) the Open Individual Export Licenses for (i) 5E002, (ii) 5A002 and (iii) 5D002 are commercially confidential.

Graham Stuart: Disclosure of the names of those in receipt of Open Individual Export Licences would prejudice commercial interests. Where the information is already in the public domain, as is the case of OIELS for the air-to-surface missiles licence, there would be no disclosure that prejudiced commercial interests.

Department for International Trade: Internet

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2019 to Question 213459 on Department for International Trade: Internet, what proportion of spending on the Local to Global podcast was allocated to its (a) production and (b) promotion.

Graham Stuart: The total production and promotion cost of the Local to Global podcast series is approximately £107,000. £25,000 of the total cost was spent on the production of the series. £82,000 of the total cost was spent on promotion.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of staff employed by his Department are apprentices.

Margot James: DCMS has 15 apprentices, which is equivalent to 1.3% of the department’s headcount.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many suppliers have been excluded from bidding for contracts as a result of not complying with the criteria set out in the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, in each year since 2014.

Margot James: DCMS has not excluded any suppliers from bidding for contracts as a result of not meeting the criteria in Procurement Policy Note 03/14.

Commonwealth Games 2022

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223191 on Commonwealth Games 2022, whether he will publish the guidance that has been issued to (a) organisations and (b) businesses working for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.

Mims Davies: No guidance has yet been issued to organisations and businesses working for the Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation. Guidance on accreditation as a Living Wage Employer will be considered as part of work to agree appropriate contractor policies and pay for the Organising Committee and other Games delivery partners.

Sports Competitors: Employment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the post-sport employment rates of people who have participated in elite athlete programmes funded by UK Sport.

Mims Davies: We do not collect data on post-sport employment rates, but UK Sport takes its duty of care to athletes very seriously. Their package of support includes Performance Lifestyle Advisers from the English Institute for Sport, supporting athletes to prepare for life after elite sport; the Athlete Futures Network open to any current or former World Class Programme athlete hosting roadshows that include workshops, career skills development, and exploration of future employment opportunities; and the EIS #More2Me campaign, launched in Feb 2019, to encourage elite athletes to consider their lives’ outside of and beyond sport, whilst they are still competing. As I stated in my speech on 13th February to UK Sport, It is important that we support our athletes not just when they are competing, but as they move into retirement and start thinking about the next stage of their lives.

Mark Zuckerberg

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the minutes of his meeting of the week commencing 18 February with Mark Zuckerburg.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he discussed Facebook’s role in UK elections in his meeting of the week commencing 18 February with Mark Zuckerburg.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he discussed the abuse of disabled people online during his recent meeting with Mark Zuckerburg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Facebook.

Jeremy Wright: We discussed a range of issues with a number of companies in the week beginning 18th February. As with all meetings held in my capacity as Secretary of State, full details, including minutes, are kept confidential, to allow full and frank discussions between parties.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many apprentices have been employed by the House of Commons since 2010.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of apprentices employed by the House of Commons are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of apprentices currently employed by the House of Commons are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Tom Brake: The House launched the first apprenticeship scheme in 2012. Since then 10 apprentices have been employed per year. We have extended this to 12 apprentices for 2019.Apprentices are asked to submit diversity data. This does not include if they consider themselves to be from a disadvantaged background. Therefore, the House does not hold this information. We work closely with both our providers and the House of Commons recruitment team to ensure vacancies are published to as broad an audience as possible.As it would be possible to identify the ethnicity of some of the apprentices – the intake comprising too few individuals to ensure confidentiality – we are unable to answer the question as to what proportion of apprentices currently employed by the House of Commons are from minority ethnic backgrounds.

House of Commons: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the House of Commons will mark the 12th annual National Apprenticeship Week 2019 between 4 - 8 March 2019.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, which training providers the House of Commons works with to train apprentices.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, which external organisations the House of Commons is working with to provide apprenticeship opportunities.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons is participating in National Apprenticeship Week. This will include the production of a short film of former and current apprentices in conjunction with Amazing Apprenticeships. The film will be shown nationally in schools and Further Education colleges to promote apprenticeships in general and at Parliament.Lifetime Training have been appointed as our Lead provider, together with Newham College. We also use Kaplan training who are managed by Lifetime.In addition, we work alongside Amazing Apprenticeships who work with over 3,500 schools and colleges nationally.

House of Commons: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what outreach work is being carried out to encourage people from disadvantaged backgrounds to become an apprentice in the House of Commons.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what outreach work is being carried out to encourage people from minority ethnic backgrounds to become an apprentice in the House of Commons.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what outreach work is being carried out to encourage women to become an apprentice in the House of Commons.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what outreach work is being carried out to encourage school leavers to become an apprentice in the House of Commons.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what outreach work is being carried out to encourage people with special educational needs and disabilities to become an apprentice in the House of Commons.

Tom Brake: Throughout the tender process for new training providers, diversity was a key element and continues to be a strong focus for the apprenticeship programmes. We work closely with both our providers and the House of Commons recruitment team to ensure vacancies are published to as broad an audience as possible.We are working alongside Amazing Apprenticeships who work with over 3,500 schools and colleges nationally to reach those who may not instantly think the House of Commons is for them by creating a short film which will tour schools this year.We work with Newham College, which is based in one of the most diverse boroughs in London. The College works extensively with parents and local community groups. Where we are not seeing diverse pools of candidates we are continually reviewing where we are advertising and engaging with potential applicants to aim to reach these candidates and improve our approach.A female apprentice ambassador has been appointed. She will be speaking at school events across London about her experience as an apprentice at the House of Commons and career with the House since. We are also working with our providers and in-House recruitment team to continue their work of female only recruitment and information sessions to encourage women to feel more comfortable about attending these sessions to find out more.The House will also be represented at an event for teachers and careers advisors to engage them with the work of Parliament and the opportunities for their students.Our work with Amazing Apprenticeships will be shown across Special Education Need schools as well as schools with a high proportion of students with a disability.

Parliament: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a comparative estimate of the number of apprentices employed by the House of Lords and the House of Commons since 2010.

Tom Brake: The House of Commons Service launched its first apprenticeship scheme in 2012. Since then 10 apprentices have been employed per year. This has increased to 12 from December 2018 and will increase further to 25–30 during 2019.We do not hold data for the House of Lords apprenticeships.

House of Commons: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what outreach work is being carried out to encourage people to become apprentices in the House of Commons.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether he has made a recent comparative assessment of the effectiveness of outreach work being carried out by the House of Commons and the House of Lords to encourage people to take up apprenticeships in either House.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what marketing is being carried out to encourage people to become apprentices in the House of Commons.

Tom Brake: Staff from the House Service work closely with the providers and the House of Commons recruitment team to ensure vacancies are published to as broad an audience as possible. Staff are also working alongside Amazing Apprenticeships who work with over 3,500 schools and colleges nationally to reach those who may not instantly think the House of Commons is for them, by creating a short film which will tour schools in time for National Apprenticeship Week this year.Staff will be attending a recruitment fair in Newham during National Apprenticeship Week and, with Newham College, staff are attending local jobs fairs aimed at 16–24 year olds over the coming months.In addition, the House of Commons’ first apprentice ambassador will be speaking at school events across London, talking about her experience as an apprentice at the House of Commons and her career with us since. A House representative will also be speaking at an event for teachers and careers advisors to engage them with the work of Parliament and the opportunities for their students.We also hold a biannual recruitment fair which gives us an opportunity to speak to visitors about the House of Commons apprenticeships as well as the wider roles available.The House of Commons is working closely with the House of Lords, the Parliamentary Digital Service and our providers to share learning and where possible work together on outreach.

House of Commons: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what learning and development support the House of Commons offers to apprentices.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what careers guidance is offered to apprentices employed in the House of Commons who have completed apprenticeships.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to review the quality of apprenticeship programmes provided by the House of Commons.

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to broaden the range of apprenticeships offered by the House of Commons.

Tom Brake: The Learning and Development team offer apprentices support with all their training throughout their apprenticeships, including matching the apprentices with a team buddy who can support them during their apprenticeship. We look to match internal training available to modules of their apprenticeship, so they can take part in additional sessions to enrich the apprenticeship learning. We have also run mock interviews to prepare them for their next career steps.All apprentices are offered career coaching with one of the House’s coaches. Part of their coaching includes helping them to prepare for applying for jobs. They are also offered the opportunity to participate in mock interviews, and ‘how to get that job’ training sessions.In 2018, The House ran a joint tender with the House of Lords and Parliamentary Digital Service to procure new apprenticeship training providers. These appointed providers were tested extensively to ensure their provision was of the highest quality. We monitor our providers and provide regular feedback informally as well as at formal quarterly feedback meetings. We take the quality of the training for apprenticeship very seriously and our appointed providers are very experienced in apprenticeship delivery, prior to the introduction of the Levy and since then.Since the appointment of new training providers in September 2018, the House of Commons has expanded its offering of two apprenticeship courses to fourteen, with further plans to extend the offering across more levels and specialisms over the course of 2019.

House of Commons: Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what percentage of apprentices secured permanent employment in the House of Commons after completing their apprenticeships in each year since 2010.

Tom Brake: Five of the ten apprentices from the 2017–2018 cohort secured roles at the House, with a sixth gaining a temporary role at the end of their apprenticeship before moving on to another employer.This data was collected for the final cohort of apprentices graduating at the end of 2018 and will continue to be collected for future apprentices. Data for previous years is not held.